I felt that someone would write a book about me, or I thought they might, and if a book was going to come out, I would rather that I write it -- that it be my story rather than something somebody made up.

When I started singing as a child, it was just a spontaneous act that I never thought about. Later, as a teen, singing became something I somehow needed to do; some irresistible force within me needed to be expressed musically. When I turned professional, I continued to enjoy performing, even with all the challenges of the road and of the business. Still, I saw my music, and indeed all pop music, as simply a form of entertainment, a way to please audiences for an hour or two, in live concert or on an album. What I failed to understand then, but came to learn again and again, is the incredible power that music possesses -- the power to heal, to shape destiny, even to change lives. A popular song may be three minutes of not terribly profound poetry, but the right combination of words and music can touch people at their very core.

Those early days were tough on the road, some of my band members were incorrigible. They were bad boys.

When I was young my heart was young then, too.

And anything that it would tell me, that's the thing that I would do.

Isn't it amazing how the people who know the least throw the biggest stones?

Right now, I don't want to pack a suitcase and go anywhere. I did it for 40 years. I've earned the right to stay put.

Mahalia Jackson was a great influence on me. I had every one of her albums when I was a kid, and we played them in the house all the time.

The idea of fame seemed downright laughable. In those days I was playing to audiences that rarely numbered more than a few dozen for fifty bucks at best.

People see me as the girl next door, everything came easy, and that was not the case. It was hard, hard work and a lot of bumps along the way.

DUETS was special for another reason: for the first and only time, I was singing with both my children on an album. Being in the studio with them as we laid down vocal tracks was a great thrill for me and a special memory for all of us.

You gave me strength

To stand alone again

To face the world

Out on my own again

You put me high upon a pedestal

So high that I could almost see eternity

You needed me

You needed me

I think my achievement also testifies to a simple but enduring truth: there is ultimately no substitute for good singing, honestly rendered.

I think the best part [of retirement] is not having that stress anymore of trying to perform and be all things to all people.